5 Smooches
Synopsis
Peyton Callaghan is a fighter, a survivor, a warrior. When it was kill or be killed, she didn’t hesitate. Now, she’s the only one left standing, haunted by the ghost of a dead man and plagued with the guilt of having taken another person’s life. The upheaval of her life to start over in Rock Falls has been rocky at best, her worst nightmares and wildest desires colliding with each other. Terror tortures her nightly, breeding fear inside her dreams, and in every waking moment, she fights against the lust that threatens to drown her.
Jayden King harbors secrets beneath his outward playboy demeanor. The women who warm his bed lay claim to nothing—you can’t lay claim to someone who doesn’t have a heart. His wit and charm are exquisite means of deflection and distraction from the turmoil roaring inside him. He’s hidden in plain sight, a mask of humor keeping the sadness at bay. The only real reflections of his soul are in the artwork he creates, pieces of him muraled on the skin of others. If tattoo artists could have a calling card, the etch of pain and suffering in each design would be his. Because when the lights go out and the women he’s satisfied have gone home, he’s alone with every fear he refuses to face.
After suffering from a brutal attack at the hands of her roommate’s stalker, Peyton is forced to live with the object of her affection. Without intention, she breathes love into his starved heart, and although the mere thought of that terrifies him, Jayden would burn the city down to keep her safe, causalities be damned.
Some people you have. Some people you hold.
She can have him. She can hold him. But can she keep King? Or is it impossible for Callaghan to keep something that was never really hers to begin with?
Can be read as a standalone or as part of the Rock Falls series.
Review
“And you can quote me on this: When I find my dream, I’m keeping it.”
The Rock Falls Series by Anne Jolin is a recent find of mine. After reading the first book one night (it had been sitting on my kindle for a while) I devoured the other two in the series within days. So when I saw this new one was coming out I jumped at the chance for an early copy. I have to say with each book Anne puts out both the writing and stories get better and better. Keeping King was an extraordinary story that I am already planning to re-read!
“She gives him her smiles. The smiles I crave. The ones she keeps from me. The ones she so freely gives Detective Brick Shithouse.”
Peyton, Oh Peyton! We have known for quite awhile that something is going on with Peyton. For several books we have been told that she has awful nightmares that have her waking up screaming but we have no clue what it is that is haunting this poor girl. While close to the girls in the other books, Peyton is more of a loner and keeps quietly to herself. She has had a crush on Jayden for awhile but would never act on it. Jayden has always noticed Payton but demons from his past make him determined to stay away. He never wants to be in a ‘relationship’ again and Peyton is definitely the ‘relationship’ kind of a girl. So instead of ever giving into the pull he feels towards her he ignores her and carries on with his man-whore ways.
“Why does it seem like he’s always walking away from me?”
Something in Jayden changes when he walks into his tattoo parlor, The King’s Mistress, one night to see an artist touching her. His inner alpha leaps out and he cannot have that. But still, while not allowing another to touch her, he does not make any move for her and lets her go home . . . alone. This is where we see overlap from the previous book, Breaking Bennett. Peyton gets hurt and Jayden blames himself. Soon he is forcing her to live with him and Jamison “to keep her safe” and everything gets complicated.
“I am deeply ‘in like’ with my roommate and I haven’t a fucking clue what to do about it.”
Both Peyton and Jayden and wonderfully complex with past that haunt them everyday of their lives. The decisions from their past are dictating their future and unless these two find some way to make peace with this they can not move forward. I loved both of these characters so incredibly much. They ached for each other and yet did not just give in. Jayden was possessive and protective and yet while in denial he could be mean and a bit cruel to Peyton. The miscommunication these two have makes for a difficult start.
“You did not just laugh at seeing my cock for the first time,”
I am just going to say it, Jayden King a fucking sexy alpha of a man. There I said it and I can’t take it back. Muscular and tattooed with a chip on his shoulder he is just what I look for in a book boyfriend. Just like all the other books in this series Keeping King is unquestionably sexy and suspenseful. he book is not long and I read it in one sitting desperate to find out what will happen. Told from dual point of view we get insight into the minds of both characters and an understanding of why each makes some of the decisions that affect the entire plot.
“I want to feel you in the morning, Jayden. Make me sore.”
Anne Jolin is quickly becoming one of those authors I recommend to anyone who will listen. If you love a sexy story with an alpha male that has a plot that will keep you on your toes this is for you. While Keeping King can very easily be read as a standalone trust me you won’t want to cheat yourself out of the chance to read the other remarkable stories in this series!
“Every King needs a Queen,”
~miranda
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